The education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has announced that from October schools will be able to bid for a share of funding to deliver up to 300 new or expanded nurseries.
Schools will need to demonstrate how their proposals respond to need in their local area. Funding will be allocated to successful schools next Spring to support delivery for the first cohort of places.
The Department for Education (DfE) confirmed to Nursery World that PVI providers will be able to partner with schools to run nurseries from their site.
They are urging schools to start discussing with local authorities, governing organisations, and local early years stakeholders as needed to consider their proposals in the run up to the bidding state.
The DfE has said it will use the first phase to ‘take learnings for future years and better understand how we can best support underserved and poorer areas’.
Schools will be able to express interest for future phases of the programme to help assess demand in different parts of the country, and the department will engage with the sector on the ‘most appropriate model to extend the programme across the country in its second phase.’
The Government has urged schools interested in bidding for the first round to start discussing with their local authorities, governing organisations and wider stakeholders to consider pupil place planning, local childcare sufficiency and next steps for setting up and running new or expanded nurseries.
Guidance to support schools will be issued when the bidding round launches next month.
'It is my first priority, the life chances of our children'.
Speaking at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, the education secretary said, ‘Our mission to deliver opportunity for the next generation, must start with our youngest children.
‘It is my first priority, the life chances of our children, and the future of our country, demand nothing less.
‘Conference, a year ago I told you, from this stage, that we were launching a review of early years education.
‘Our manifesto, pledged 3000 new school-based nurseries. Today I can tell you that change begins, delivery begins, those extra places start opening next year.
‘The first phase of our new nurseries, of high-quality early education, boosting life chances for children and work choices for parents.’
